By Enock Sithole

The newly-introduced master’s programme in media and communication at the University of Rwanda (UR) is well underway, breaking new ground in that country.

After being in the planning for years the programme started in late January with a cohort of some 24 students drawn from journalism, public relations and related sectors.

The programme has attracted a cohort of working students, necessitating that classes be held in the evenings at the Kigali campus of the UR. “It had to be in the evenings because our students are working people who would like to keep their jobs,” said Professor Terje Skjerdal of Norway’s NLA University College, who championed the programme with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

The students will take two years to complete 12 modules of the programme, culminating with a dissertation based on a topic of their choice. The courses include theoretical and practical modules as well as management and entrepreneurial studies, said Prof Skjerdal. “Management and entrepreneurial studies are crucial for the students because some of them are leaders in their workplaces and they will benefit from these courses,” he added.

The cohort is made up of journalists and public relations practitioners and the curriculum was designed to accommodate both on the understanding that these are two sides of the same coin and that some journalists end up in public relations at some stage in their careers.

The students pay their own fees, but scholarships were extended to some female students to encourage women to take part in a scenario where the sector in the country is dominated by males. The bursaries were also extended to people with disabilities to boost the numbers of people with disabilities, said Prof Skjerdal.

Lecturers were recruited from both Rwanda and other countries, including Norway, Uganda and South Africa, where the University of KwaZulu Natal is a partner in the programme.

Prof Skjerdal said the programme would boost research in media and communication in the country, where there was virtually none.